VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (APMRCL) has announced that joint ventures (JVs) will now be permitted to participate in the metro rail tenders for Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. The decision was taken after several contracting companies made the request during the pre-bid meeting.
APMRCL Managing Director NP Ramakrishna Reddy said international tenders have been floated for 40 per cent of the civil works, covering 46.23 km in Visakhapatnam and 38 km in Vijayawada, under Phase-I of the metro projects. He clarified that up to three companies can form a JV and bid together.
However, he made it clear that the works will not be split into smaller packages, as doing so could raise costs and delay project timelines. “The projects are targeted for completion by 2028, and splitting packages could escalate costs,” he explained. The coalition government has set ambitious plans to implement metro rail systems in both cities, with a combined estimated cost of Rs 21,616 crore including Rs 11,498 crore for Visakhapatnam and Rs 10,118 crore for Vijayawada.
Projs to be taken up at 50:50 cost-sharing basis
The projects will be taken up under a 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement between the Centre and the state government.
As part of the funding structure, the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) will contribute Rs 4,101 crore, while the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) will allocate Rs 3,497 crore towards the Vijayawada Metro.
The Visakhapatnam Metro Rail project will span 76.9 km across three corridors with about 54 stations. The Vijayawada Metro will cover 38.9 km through two corridors, Gannavaram to PNBS and PNBS to Penamaluru, with 33 stations, including one underground station. The project also features a 4.7 km double-decker flyover.
According to NTR District Collector Dr Lakshmisha, the first phase of the Vijayawada Metro includes Corridor 1A (Gannavaram to PNBS, 22 km) and Corridor 1B (PNBS to Penamaluru, 11 km). Land acquisition processes are currently underway.
Earlier, APMRCL extended the submission deadlines following requests from contracting companies. The deadline for the Vijayawada Metro has been pushed to October 14, while the Visakhapatnam deadline has been set for October 7.